“New Pony” is a strong blues song, driven by a heavy rhythm section and exceptional guitars. Dylan appears to play electric guitar, as does Billy Cross, who delivers a strong solo. Another solo is by Steve Douglas, who stands out on tenor sax, with a sound that is slightly drowned out in the mix. And Dylan, despite what Greil Marcus thought, sings with a very good voice, supported by the chorus. It is possible that his interpretation is too conventional and this blues song is perhaps overdone. “New Pony” was recorded on May 1, with an overdub session on May 3 to add bass and sax. The song has never been performed onstage.
No Time To Think
Bob Dylan / 8:24
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Billy Cross: guitar (?); Steven Soles: guitar (?); Steve Douglas: soprano saxophone; Alan Pasqua: piano; Jerry Scheff: bass; Ian Wallace: drums; Bobbye Hall: percussion; Carolyn Dennis, Jo Ann Harris, and Helena Springs: backup vocals / Recording Studio: Rundown Studios, Santa Monica, California: April 27, 1978 / Producer: Don DeVito / Sound Engineer: Biff Dawes
When Jonathan Cott told Bob Dylan that “No Time to Think” gave him the impression it came out of a very deep dream, the songwriter answered, “Maybe, because we’re all dreaming, and these songs come close to getting inside that dream. It’s all a dream anyway.”120 “No Time to Think” was written to be the expression of a dream (in eighteen verses) in which Dylan reviewed the many weaknesses of human beings and denounced with equal passion socialism, patriotism, and materialism. Another possible interpretation: it is an expression of regret that he addressed to himself and to the whole world—that we do not take the time to think.
While Dylan worked extensively on his lyrics to come up with the right image or the right rhyme, the recording of “No Time to Think,” done on April 27, lacks fine-tuning as far as the arrangements are concerned. The sax riffs (doubled by overdub) have a medieval color that does not sound right, and the orchestration fails to make the song captivating. The songwriter did not compose one of his best melodies, and the backup singers do not seem to know how to work around it. As for Dylan’s voice, it sounds tired, stressed, and lacking emotion. This is a poor showcase for the lyrics, which are rather brilliant.
Baby, Stop Crying
Bob Dylan / 5:21
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Billy Cross: guitar
David Mansfield: guitar
Steve Douglas: tenor saxophone
Alan Pasqua: organ
Jerry Scheff: bass
Ian Wallace: drums
Bobbye Hall: percussion
Carolyn Dennis, Jo Ann Harris, and Helena Springs: backup vocals
Recording Studio
Rundown Studios, Santa Monica, California: April 28, 1978 (Overdubs May 2, 1978)
Technical Team
Producer: Don DeVito
Sound Engineer: Biff Dawes
Genesis and Lyrics
“Baby, Stop Crying” is the most overtly romantic song on Street Legal. Was Dylan thinking of Sara when he wrote it? Whatever the case, the narrator is ready to do anything to rush to the rescue of the woman he loves, who has hit bottom. He would even take a weapon to avenge her, even sacrifice himself. And this would indeed be a sacrifice, because she is in love with someone else. The narrator finally realizes at the end, “Well, I don’t have to be no doctor, babe / To see that you’re madly in love.” There is some similarity to the famous blues song “Stop Breaking Down” by Robert Johnson, which was even covered by the Rolling Stones during the sessions for Exile on Main Street. “So baby, please stop crying ’cause it’s tearing up my mind,” writes Dylan; “Stop breakin’ down, please stop breakin’ down / The stuff I got’ll bust your brains out,” sang Johnson. In 1978 Dylan gave a good definition of his song: “The man in that song has his hand out and is not afraid of getting it bit.”20
Production
“Baby, Stop Crying” makes concessions to popular music, and could have been a slow tune sung by Rod Stewart or Barry White. Dylan uses unusual intonations that are nearly middle of the road, totally unlike the singer who performed “Like a Rolling Stone.” The sax solo, which is excellent, cannot solve the problem. The musicians, who are all very professional, do their job—no more, no less. The fact that they recorded the album in between two tours probably did not help them to forge a group identity. The song was recorded on April 28, and there was an overdub session for the backup vocals on May 2.
Apart from ending the first side of the LP, this song came out as a single in July 1978 (with “New Pony” on the B-side). It reached a remarkable thirteenth place on British charts on July 29. On the other hand, it was totally ignored in the United States.
The first time Dylan performed “Baby, Stop Crying” onstage was on June 1, 1978, at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles. He has not played it since November 14, 1978, at the Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California.
Is Your Love In Vain?
Bob Dylan / 4:34
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Billy Cross: guitar; Steven Soles: guitar, backup vocals; Steve Douglas: tenor saxophone; Steve Madaio: trumpet; Alan Pasqua: organ, keyboard (?); Jerry Scheff: bass; Ian Wallace: drums; Bobbye Hall: percussion; Carolyn Dennis, Jo Ann Harris, and Helena Springs: backup vocals / Recording Studio: Rundown Studios, Santa Monica, California: April 28, 1978 / Producer: Don DeVito / Sound Engineer: Biff Dawes
PREVIEW
Dylan performed “Is Your Love in Vain?” onstage for the first time on February 28, 1978, in Tokyo, two months before it was recorded.
Bob Dylan was inspired by Robert Johnson’s “Love in Vain” to create the title of this song. The story, however, is slightly different. Johnson follows his girlfriend to the train station as she is leaving him; Dylan, on the other hand, is searching for the ideal woman: a woman who will love him for who he is, who will accept his world and understand his pain. In this respect, “Is Your Love in Vain?” could be compared to “Abandoned Love” (an outtake from Desire). Certain passages, such as “Can you cook and sew, make flowers grow?” prompted some to accuse him of being mysogynistic. He replied, “But when a man’s looking for a woman, he ain’t looking for a woman who’s an airplane pilot.”20
“Is Your Love in Vain?” was recorded in two sessions, first April 26, then April 28. The atmosphere and the harmonic range are somewhat similar to “No Woman No Cry” by Bob Marley and “Rain and Tears” by Aphrodite’s Child, especially since a harpsichord sound is heard in the song (Alan Pasqua?). Dylan is tenderhearted and compassionate in this second slow-rock tune of the album. Note the very good organ part by Pasqua, which resembles the reggae sound heard everywhere at that time.
Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)
Bob Dylan / 5:46
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Billy Cross: guitar; Steven Soles: guitar, backup vocals; Steve Douglas: tenor saxophone; Alan Pasqua: piano; Jerry Scheff: bass; Ian Wallace: drums; Bobbye Hall: congas, cuíca; Carolyn Dennis, Jo Ann Harris, and Helena Springs: backup vocals / Recording Studio: Rundown Studios, Santa Monica, California: April 28, 1978 / Producer: Don DeVito / Sound Engineer: Biff Dawes
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
According to the British Trotskyite magazine Socialist Challenge, “Señor” was written as an implicit denunciation of US imperialist exploitation of Latin America. Hence the subtitle “Tales of Yankee Power.”
Like the main characters in “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” and “Romance in Durango,” the one in “Señor” has left for a long trip to Mexico, where he hopes to find the woman who has left him. It is a rite of passage during which the narrator questions the one who appears as his guide (or is it his conscience?). Which road to follow? Where is his loved one hiding? This long journey, full of terrifying scenes, ends with a final struggle between good and evil (like the New Testament’s Battle of Armageddon).
Dylan explained in the notes to Biograph that he considered this song to be “the aftermath of when two people who were leaning on each oth
er because neither one of them had the guts to stand up alone, all of a sudden they break apart.” He added, “I think I felt that way when I wrote it.”12
It only took two sessions to record “Señor (Tales of Yankee Power),” on April 26 and 28. As its title indicates, the atmosphere of the song is Spanish or Mexican, without lapsing into caricature. The choruses are perhaps a bit too syrupy and lack the soulful flavor apparent on other parts of the album. Note the sound of a cuíca moaning, reinforcing the tension of the song.
True Love Tends To Forget
Bob Dylan / 4:16
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Billy Cross: guitar; Steven Soles: guitar; David Mansfield: guitar; Steve Douglas: tenor saxophone; Alan Pasqua: organ; Jerry Scheff: bass; Ian Wallace: drums; Bobbye Hall: tambourine; Carolyn Dennis, Jo Ann Harris, and Helena Springs: backup vocals / Recording Studio: Rundown Studios, Santa Monica, California: April 27, 1978 / Producer: Don DeVito / Sound Engineer: Biff Dawes
“I was lyin’ down in the reeds without any oxygen / I saw you in the wilderness among the men.” In 1991, Bob Dylan confided to Paul Zollo that this rather surrealistic image occurred to him while he was working on Desire with Jacques Levy. The narrator seems at once to regret being charmed by the woman he loves and to dread that one day she will abandon and betray him.
On April 27, Dylan and his musicians recorded the master take of “True Love Tends to Forget.” It was the second song of the album to begin with a fade-in. The group is extremely efficient and the rhythm section is extremely powerful. The strong point of the song comes from the excellent guitar solo played on bottleneck (Steven Soles?), as well as the fortunate gap between the backup vocalists and the songwriter’s vocal at the end of each chorus, on the words “tends to forget.” Thus far, Dylan has only performed this song during the 1978 tour.
We Better Talk This Over
Bob Dylan / 4:05
Musicians: Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar; Billy Cross: guitar; David Mansfield: guitar (?); Steve Douglas: tenor saxophone; Steve Madaio: trumpet (?); Alan Pasqua: keyboard; Jerry Scheff: bass; Ian Wallace: drums; Bobbye Hall: tambourine; Carolyn Dennis, Jo Ann Harris, and Helena Springs: backup vocals / Recording Studio: Rundown Studios, Santa Monica, California: April 26, 1978 / Producer: Don DeVito / Sound Engineer: Biff Dawes
FOR DYLANOLOGISTS
At the end of the second verse, Dylan apparently had written “go your own separate ways” before thinking better of it and writing “different ways,” lest people find a reference to the separation of Elvis and Priscilla Presley. “Separate Ways” was a song by the King that came out in November 1972. It basically focused on the ending of his marriage and the pain felt by his daughter, Lisa Marie.
“We Better Talk This Over” is the logical sequel to the preceding song. The breakup is complete. Deeply in love yesterday, the narrator does not want to suffer anymore and decides to leave, while still hoping the relationship might begin again some day. Dylan edited his song several times before recording it.
After rehearsals for “We Better Talk This Over” in early April, the recording occurred on April 26. Three takes were made on that day, and the last one seems to be the one kept for the album. This blues-rock song is rather successful because the group plays well together. The guitar players are excellent, especially Billy Cross, who puts in convincing blues licks. Dylan lacks a bit of conviction in his singing, but on the whole the song is well done.
Where Are You Tonight? (Journey Through Dark Heat)
Bob Dylan / 6:16
Musicians
Bob Dylan: vocals, guitar
Billy Cross: guitar
Steven Soles: guitar, backup vocals
David Mansfield: violin (?)
Steve Douglas: soprano saxophone
Alan Pasqua: organ
Jerry Scheff: bass
Ian Wallace: drums
Bobbye Hall: congas
Carolyn Dennis, Jo Ann Harris, and Helena Springs: backup vocals
Recording Studio
Rundown Studios, Santa Monica, California: April 27, 1978
Technical Team
Producer: Don DeVito
Sound Engineer: Biff Dawes
Genesis and Lyrics
In this song, as in many others, Dylan seems to be amusing himself, leaving clues here and there to help the listener understand his secret thoughts. The very title of the song, as well as the last two lines of the first verse—“There’s a woman I long to touch and I miss her so much / But she’s drifting like a satellite”—might evoke the recent breakup of the songwriter with Sara (who was in Hawaii at the time) and his terrible frustration at the prospect of never seeing his children again. But this was too simple for Dylan. Pretty soon, with “a neon light ablaze in this green smoky haze / Laughter down on Elizabeth Street,” the song lapses into a long, surrealistic, and mystical trip.
This trip is undertaken by the narrator with “Marcel and St. John,” “strong men belittled by doubt.” Who are they? “St. John” could be John the Apostle, who was the author of the book of Revelation, although he did not tend to have doubts. As for the first name, Marcel, it might refer to Gabriel Marcel, a French philosopher who converted to Catholicism in 1929. The narrator then has to battle his own doppelgänger, whom he calls “that enemy within.” The message appears crystal clear: there is no worse enemy than oneself. This means that if you control your instincts and resist various temptations, it is easier to conquer the hostile forces coming from the outside. The adventure ends with “There’s a new day at dawn.” But the narrator’s quest remains in vain: he may have survived, but the mysterious woman is still absent.
Production
“Where Are You Tonight?,” the last song on Street Legal, is one of the best on the album. The group sounds right and has found its identity, which is unfortunately lacking in many songs on the album. Except for one electric guitar that is not tuned right, the musicians provide first-rate backup. The organ playing by Pasqua is reminiscent of Al Kooper’s on “Like a Rolling Stone,” mainly on the last line of each verse. Note that there is a guitar solo of over a minute long (Steven Soles?) at the end of the song, which is fairly rare in the songwriter’s work. After a first recording on April 26, the final take of “Where Are You Tonight?” was done the next day.
Slow
Train
Coming
Gotta Serve Somebody
Precious Angel
I Believe In You
Slow Train
Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking
Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)
When You Gonna Wake Up
Man Gave Names To All The Animals
When He Returns
THE OUTTAKES
Ye Shall Be Changed
Ain’t No Man Righteous,
No Not One
SINGLE
Trouble In Mind
DATE OF RELEASE
August 20, 1979
on Columbia Records
(REFERENCE COLUMBIA FC 36120)
Slow Train Coming:
The Album of the Conversion
“Jesus tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Bob, why are you resisting me?’ I said, ‘I’m not resisting you!’ He said, ‘You gonna follow me?’ I said, ‘I’ve never thought about that before!’ He said, ‘When you’re not following me, you’re resisting me.’” With these few words, spoken at a concert in Syracuse, New York, on September 22, 1978, Bob Dylan clearly announced his conversion to Christianity as a born-again Christian. A few months later, during an interview with Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times, he came back to that statement. “I truly had a born-again experience. If you want to call it that. It’s an overused term, but it’s something that people can relate to. It happened in 1978. I always knew there was a God or a creator of the universe and a creator of the mountains and the seas and all that kind of thing, but I wasn’t conscious of Jesus and what that had to do with the supreme creator.”20
This “state of grace” we
nt back to the Rolling Thunder Revue, during which the songwriter began to talk about religion with many of his musicians (T-Bone Burnett, Steven Soles, and David Mansfield, who became a born-again Christian), but more particularly his relationship with the actress Mary Alice Artes, herself a fervent Christian. She is the “precious angel” who opened the doors of the religious community Vineyard Fellowship and showed him the way to Jesus Christ. “The glory of the Lord knocked me down and picked me up,” confided Dylan.
The Album
Dylan may have found in his conversion a balm for his moral pain, especially his recent divorce and separation from his children. This conversion definitely gave him a new inspiration, both literary and musical. Slow Train Coming is the first of three albums that celebrate his Christian fervor.
Initially, Dylan was planning to give the songs to his backup vocalist Carolyn Dennis after his 1978 tour. In 1990, he told Robert Hilburn, “I thought maybe I could produce her record.”20 But he changed his mind and decided to record those new compositions himself.
Bob Dylan All the Songs Page 61
